Broodmares
Forever in Blue genes
The hens laying the golden eggs - broodmares consistently producing elite thoroughbred talent
Words: Martin Stevens
ADVENTURE SEEKER (FR)
2008 ch m Bering-American Adventure (Miswaki)
Camas Park Stud, Lynch Bages and Summerhill haven’t looked back since buying this listed-winning maternal granddaughter of the great champion All Along for €125,000 from the Wildenstein dispersal at the Goffs November Sale of 2016.
Her owners found the key to the stoutly bred mare when sending her to the conversely sharp and speedy No Nay Never. Their first liaison produced Phoenix Stakes winner Little Big Bear, who now stands alongside his sire at Coolmore, and the same mating two years later resulted in this year’s Prix Morny and July Stakes hero Whistlejacket, also runner-up in the Phoenix Stakes and Middle Park Stakes.
Sadly, Whistlejacket is Adventure Seeker’s final produce, as she died in 2022.
BLOOMFIELD (IRE)
2014 b m Teofilo-Ramona (Desert King)
Veteran breeder John Connaughton is best known for breeding Hong Kong superstar Dan Excel and Futurity Trophy runner-up Sissoko from his Polish Precedent mare Love Excelling, and popular handicapper Sea The Lion and Athasi Stakes winner Prima Luce from his Desert King mare Ramona, and he has unearthed another fine producer in Bloomfield, a dual listed-winning daughter of Teofilo and Ramona.
The County Westmeath horseman has bred this year’s unbeaten Champagne Stakes winner Bay City Roller and Foundation Stakes runner-up Botanical from Bloomfield, whose Blue Point yearling filly produced a popular result when selling to Agrolexica International Trading for €850,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale in October.
Bloomfield has a colt foal by Blue Point, who is sadly the mare’s final produce as she died this year.
DEVOTED TO YOU (IRE)
2007 b m Danehill Dancer-Alleged Devotion (Alleged)
David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud in County Wicklow is one of the world’s greatest nurseries, having produced the likes of Generous, Kew Gardens, Oratorio, Wind In Her Hair, Simple Verse and Yeats. Devoted To You is typical of its mares, being a true blueblood and a reliable source of middle-distance superstars.
The Group 2-placed daughter of Danehill Dancer from the family of Balanchine, Coroebus and Thunder Snow has produced eight winners, and clicked with the late Galileo to produce two Classic scorers – Sovereign in the Irish Derby in 2019 and Jan Brueghel in the St Leger this year. For good measure, another of her sons by Galileo, Dawn Rising, took the Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh in November.
Devoted To You has a St Mark’s Basilica yearling filly who was sold to Richard Knight for €460,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale and a filly foal by Wootton Bassett. She was sent to Camelot this year, which sounds like another Classic winner in waiting.
FIDAAHA (IRE)
2014 ch m New Approach-Ceist Eile (Noverre)
How does Tally-Ho Stud do it? The County Westmeath operation often seems to magic up blue hen mares out of nothing, and did it again with Fidaaha, a New Approach full-sister to dual Group 3 winner Steip Amach, who was well beaten in all four starts and was bought at the end of her uneventful three-year-old season for a mere €15,000 at the Goffs November Sale of 2017.
Fidaaha’s first three runners, all by home sire Mehmas, are group winners. Malavath won the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and Prix Imprudence and finished second in the Prix de la Foret before selling to Moyglare Stud for €3.2m at Arqana. Knight took the Horris Hill Stakes. Scorthy Champ was sent out by Joseph O’Brien to win the National Stakes this year.
The mare was privately sold by Tally-Ho to Healthy Wood Co, who bred Scorthy Champ, and she was covered by Mehmas in 2022 and 2023, but with no returns from those matings registered with Weatherbys.
FUTOON (AUS)
2013 b m Kodiac-Vermilliann (Mujadil)
A likely first British and Irish sire championship for Dark Angel in 2024 is richly deserved by his custodians, the O’Callaghan family of Yeomanstown Stud, as they have done so much to build him up from a cheap source of speed to a super-stallion themselves, including breeding many of his best horses.
Charyn, the horse who did most for his sire this year thanks to his victories in the Queen Anne Stakes, Prix Jacques Le Marois and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, was bred by Guy O’Callaghan, who went out on his own at Grangemore Stud. He is the second foal out of the listed-placed Kodiac mare Futoon, whose first produce, also by Dark Angel, was Mill Reef Stakes scorer Wings Of War.
From the family of classy sprinters Brown Sugar, Burnt Sugar, Galeota, Justineo and Logo Hunter, Futoon has a two-year-old full-sister to Charyn, sold to the colt’s owners, Sumbe for 850,000gns, and another yearling filly by Dark Angel who sold to Godolphin for 2,900,000gns this year. She foaled a colt by Dark Angel this March before being sent to Blue Point, her first ever cover by a different sire.
IN CLOVER (GB)
2002 b m Inchinor-Bellarida (Bellypha)
George Strawbridge’s Group 3-winning daughter of Inchinor was represented by a fourth top-level winner as broodmare this year, with the victory of her three-year-old Kingman filly Friendly Soul in the Prix de l’Opera. Her previous three were Call The Wind, We Are and With You.
In Clover joins Dahlia, Darara, Ebaziya, Fall Aspen, Toussaud, Urban Sea and You’resothrilling in producing a quartet of Group 1 winners. That’s not the end of her achievements, either: she has also bred listed scorers Dream Clover, Incahoots and In Crowd, and Incahoots is the dam of Prix de la Foret heroine Kelina.
The wonderful mare has no two-year-old or yearling produce, but she foaled a Kingman colt – thus a full-brother to Friendly Soul – in April and returned to Kingman again.
Matnie was bought by Walter Connors as he kept having to fork out significant sums for her offspring – her first five foals were all graded winners, with Mighty Potter, Caldwell Potter and Brighterdaysahead prevailing at the highest level
James, Serena and Guy O’Callaghan with Futoon, dam of triple Group 1 winner Charyn, who was bred at Grangemore Stud by Guy
MINIDRESS (GB)
2009 br m Street Cry-Short Skirt (Diktat)
Godolphin aren’t exactly short of brilliant broodmares, but this listed-placed daughter of Street Cry must still be one of the best. She has produced four winners, including two multiple international Group/Grade 1 scorers this year.
Rebel’s Romance, a six-year-old by Dubawi, took his progeny earnings past €10m by landing the Dubai Sheema Classic, Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup, Preis von Europa and a second Breeders’ Cup Turf, while Measured Time, a four-year-old by Frankel, struck in the Jebel Hatta and Manhattan Stakes.
Minidress has a yearling colt by Dubawi, but has no foal. She returned to Frankel this year. County Kildare small breeder Christy Behan bought her unraced daughter Silver Moon for just €12,000 and has bred two fairly smart winners from her – Perfect Gentleman and Profit Refused – from as many foals.
SWIRRAL EDGE (GB)
2013 b m Hellvelyn-Pizzarra (Shamardal)
Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud in County Kilkenny deserves some sort of medal for unearthing Swirral Edge as a broodmare prospect when her only victories came in lowly handicaps at Ayr and Thirsk and she is by the unglamorous sire Hellvelyn.
The renowned breeder admired her family, which goes back to high-class sprinters Firebolt, Mensa and Wunders Dream, and has been rewarded for his faith by her first two foals being Richmond Stakes winner and Prix Morny third Asymmetric, and this year’s July Cup victor Mill Stream, who retires to Yeomanstown Stud.
Swirral Edge has no yearling, but does have a filly foal from the first crop of Minzaal. She was covered by Frankel this year.
TEPIN (USA)
2011 b m Bernstein-Life Happened (Stravinsky)
What a shame Coolmore lost Tepin last year. The brilliant US turf queen, who put the Europeans in their place when successful in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and was sold to MV Magnier for $8m, was the dam of two top-notchers this year.
Grateful, her three-year-old filly by Galileo, struck at the highest level in the Prix de Royallieu, and Delacroix, her two-year-old colt by Dubawi, won the Autumn Stakes and was beaten just a nose by Hotazhell in a desperate finish to the Futurity Trophy.
Delacroix was Tepin’s fourth and final foal, but at least the mare left three daughters – Grateful plus the unraced pair Swirl and Tepin Thru Life – from which to continue her bloodline.
TOGETHER FOREVER (IRE)
2012 b m Galileo-Green Room (Theatrical)
Together Forever is well-bred, being a Galileo full-sister to Oaks heroine Forever Together and half-sister to Prix Jean Prat winner Lord Shanakill. She was top-class herself, winning the Fillies’ Mile. And her owners Coolmore have sent her to a succession of top sires, so she was always entitled to make a smart broodmare.
The 12-year-old has still exceeded expectations, though, with all of her first five foals having earned black type – King Of Athens, Military Style and Absolute Ruler by War Front, and Bertinelli and City Of Troy by Justify. This year’s European champion, successful in the Derby, Eclipse and Juddmonte International, should disperse her genes far and wide now that he joins the Coolmore stallion ranks.
Together Forever has a two-year-old filly by Uncle Mo named Takemetothemoon, who finished third on debut for Aidan O’Brien at Leopardstown in October, a yearling filly by Dubawi and a filly foal by Into Mischief.
And one for the jumps
Walter Connors of Sluggara Farm in County Waterford is best known for being one of the shrewdest national hunt traders in the business, but it is as a breeder that he has hit the headlines in recent seasons, thanks to his speculative purchase of the unraced Laveron mare
Matnie from Remy Cottin, after buying several of her foals from him. Matnie’s first five foals are all graded winners. There is French Dynamite, who took this year’s BetVictor Chase at Punchestown; Indiana Jones, a former winner of the Flyingbolt Novice Chase; Mighty Potter, a dual top-level winner both over hurdles and over fences, who was sadly lost in action last year; Caldwell Potter, who won last season’s Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown before becoming the most expensive NH horse at auction when sold for €740,000 at Fairyhouse in February; and Brighterdaysahead, who struck in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in April.
Matnie has a three-year-old gelding by Doctor Dino who sold to Gordon Elliott for €350,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in June and has been named Ravendark, and a two-year-old gelding by the same sire who has been retained by Connors and named Here Be Dragons. She also has a yearling colt by No Risk At All.h